


May I Have This Dance?

by KawaiiBoushi



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, alternate title: what bullshit have i concocted as an excuse fort them to kiss this time, self-indulgent nonsense as always
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:47:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22244317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KawaiiBoushi/pseuds/KawaiiBoushi
Summary: “A ball,” Pandoria repeated, voice flat. Nose scrunching, she squinted at the papers she had been presented with. Upon closer inspection they appeared to be tickets emblazoned with the words ANNUAL CHARITY BALL in bold red lettering. “Uh…what’s up with this? We’re the ones who need charity.”
Relationships: Zeke von Genbu/Saika | Pandoria
Comments: 6
Kudos: 21





	May I Have This Dance?

“Get a load of this, Pandy!”

Pandoria teetered slightly in her chair as two small pieces of paper suddenly appeared in her face, obscuring her view of the model vang she’d been tinkering with. Her attempts so far to make it fly had been largely unfruitful, and this sudden distraction was not helping. “Hey –!” Gripping the table with one hand for balance, she snatched the papers from Zeke‘s hand. “What’s the big idea?”

“The big idea, you see…” Pausing for his usual dramatic effect, Zeke strolled across the room to dump his shopping haul on his bed. Lightened of his burden, he twirled towards her and struck a pose, one hand pointing straight up and the other at his hip. “Is that we’ve been invited to…a ball!”

“A ball,” Pandoria repeated, voice flat. Nose scrunching, she squinted at the papers she had been presented with. Upon closer inspection they appeared to be tickets emblazoned with the words _ANNUAL CHARITY BALL_ in bold red lettering _._ “Uh…what’s up with this? _We’re_ the ones who need charity.”

Plopping down in the chair opposite her, Zeke leaned back and propped his feet up on the table, arms crossed behind his head. “Precisely,” he replied, as if this even remotely answered her question. “You remember the core chip dealer we helped out last week?”

Unceremoniously shoving his feet off the table and ignoring the resulting grunt of protest, she asked, “That chick that nearly got eaten by volffs, out near Garfont Village?” 

“That’s the one! I ran into her on my way back from doing the shopping, schmoozed her up a little. Thought she might throw some chips our way as thanks, right? Well –” Zeke grinned, pointing at the tickets in Pandoria’s hand. “I got something even better! She told me she already made her donation but didn’t want the tickets to go to waste since she won’t be in town to attend.”

She stared at him blankly. “How are tickets to some party better than core chips? Or, I dunno, _money_?”

“Fair question,” Zeke said, nodding sagely. “As it turns out, Pandy, the ball is fully catered – gourmet food prepared by Uraya’s finest chefs, and it won’t cost us a single gold! I bet we could even stuff our pockets with leftovers and eat like kings for…well, breakfast the next morning, at least.”

Setting the tickets down on the table, Pandoria’s expression became one of intense concentration. She tented her hands and let out a long hum. “Okay, you had me at fully catered. But what’s our game plan? I mean, this sounds like a ‘no shirt, no shoes, no service’ kinda shindig, and, well.” With a gesture at his bare chest peeking out from behind his coat, she shrugged. “It’s not like we’ve got clothes for a black-tie affair just laying around.”

Zeke waved off the question. “I’ve got it all planned out, don’t worry about a thing. We’ll pick up some halfway decent clothes at the secondhand shop down the street and it’ll still be cheaper than dinner and a show.”

“Alright, this does actually sound kinda fun,” Pandoria admitted, cracking a smile. “You talked me into it. And we both know nothing bad ever comes from you talking me into things.”

“What can I say,” he said with a sigh of longsuffering, “genius always goes unappreciated in its time.”

...

Pandoria had never devoted much thought to fashion. Even during the short time she had lived at the palace in Tantal, it hadn’t quite sat right with her to indulge in such frivolities while so many lived in poverty. And after leaving, when their possessions were limited to what could be carried on them, her small wardrobe had to be practical, comfortable, and durable. The outfit she had been awakened in would, thankfully, quickly repair itself from any damage sustained, and she and Zeke both had picked up enough skill with a needle and thread to patch up the rest of their clothes whenever possible to save money. From time to time she would admire cosmetics with cute containers or mannequins adorned in the latest styles, but food and shelter were always more imminent priorities.

Now, coin purse a little heavier than normal thanks to a steady flow of decent work, and faced with a reason to even bother owning a dress in the first place, Pandoria was coming for the first time to the realization that fashion was all just a huge anti-Blade conspiracy. Or at the very least, a pro-tiny shoulders conspiracy. Definitely an anti-Pandoria conspiracy. While it had taken Zeke all of ten minutes to find a button-up top and pair of slacks in his size, every single dress that caught her eye shared the same fatal flaw: sleeves. There was no point in even trying them on when one look told her she’d be paying for damaged merchandise the moment she tried to fit her arms through those tiny tubes of fabric.

Huffing in frustration at her reflection half an hour into their hunt, Pandoria had half a mind to give up and declare that, formality be damned, she would just show up in work pants and her jacket with the armu slobber stains. Self-consciously rubbing her shoulder, she spun on her heel to look for Zeke and tell him so, only to see that he had already walked up to her with a bright grin on his face and a shining beacon of hope in his hand.

“I think I found a winner!” he announced, presenting her with a floor-length dress made of soft purple fabric. It was well-worn, with fraying hems and a small hole near the bottom, but Pandoria could have cried with relief to see the sleeveless halter style that left ample room for her shoulders.

“My prince – no, my hero! Finally!” Gratefully accepting the dress, she beamed up at him. “Gimme a minute to try it on, but it looks perfect.” She ducked into a nearby fitting room, sighing in relief as the garment slipped easily over her head. After securing everything in place, Pandoria took a moment to give her reflection a once-over. Attached to the lavender dress’s sweetheart neckline were two sheer lengths of fabric that tied behind her neck, through which her core crystal was visible. It fit surprisingly well – thank the Architect that she wouldn’t have to keep digging through racks of disappointment.

With a single satisfied nod, Pandoria stepped back out for a second opinion. “Well?”

Zeke’s mouth opened to answer her, but before any sound came out, he froze. Looking her up and down silently for a few moments, a blush crept up his neck, lightly tinging his cheeks.

“Wh-what?” Pandoria demanded, feeling a blush of her own coming on. “I know it’s not my usual look, but you don’t have to gawk.”

Finally finding his voice, Zeke stammered out, “No, no, I wasn’t – I mean, I didn’t – you look – it looks good. On you.” Clearing his throat loudly, he flashed her an approving thumbs up.

“O-ok. Cool.” She swiftly spun back around so he wouldn’t see the sappy smile growing on her face. This whole ordeal had been worth it just to see Zeke so flustered, especially knowing she had been the cause. As a general rule, Pandoria tried not to even acknowledge her feelings for him. She had come to terms long ago with the fact that they were surely unrequited, and it wasn’t worth confessing when weighed against the pain and awkwardness that would come from the inevitable rejection – but there was something in his eyes that caused her heart to flutter with hope.

Maybe something other than a free dinner would come of this after all.

...

The night of the ball found Zeke and Pandoria arriving “fashionably late,” as Zeke called it, or “getting lost in the winding bourgeoise jungle because _some people_ refused to ask for directions” as Pandoria called it. Zeke, ever the optimist, simply kept pointing out the lovely garden they had already passed six times before finally locating the mansion the ball was being held in.

“Damn,” Pandoria muttered as they followed the long walkway to the door, lined on either side by elaborate hedges strung with fairy lights. “People really just live like this, huh?”

It was a far cry from Tantal’s derelict dwellings, and the faint sounds of chatter and laughter spilling from the entrance alluded to a cheerier atmosphere than an average day in the castle Zeke had grown up in. And yet, the raised eyebrow as the doorman sized them up betrayed a familiar sense of judgement. The look of disapproval was almost nostalgic, Pandoria noted with a roll of her eyes.

Undaunted, Zeke bounded up the steps with a jovial grin as he pulled their tickets out of his pocket. “Good evening! Apologies for the delayed arrival, but better late than never, eh?”

Holding the tickets up to the light with narrowed eyes, the doorman let out a low hum. “I suppose. And you are…?”

“Thunderbolt Zeke and Pandoria, in the flesh. Remember those names well, mate, they’ll be in history books one day. Tickets are the genuine article, by the way,” he said with a nod towards the slips of paper. “Gift from a friend.”

“Of course.” Finding no reason to turn them away, the man arranged his expression back into one of neutrality and held an arm out towards the door. “Have a wonderful evening.”

Once inside, Pandoria couldn’t help but gape at the lavish interior. A long red carpet in the foyer ran what felt like a kilometer to a grand staircase on the far wall. Posts at regular intervals with velvet ropes between them on either side of the carpet guided the pair across the entrance hall and up the stairs, at the top of which another pair of double doors stood open to the ballroom. Dozens of people were already gathered within; some sat at circular tables on one side of the room, some mingling by the most elaborate buffet she’d ever seen set up along the opposite wall, still others taking advantage of the dance floor. Chandeliers far overhead provided warm lighting while music drifted from a group of musicians in a far corner.

“Swanky,” Pandoria noted succinctly as she began to drift towards the food, Zeke close behind. In no rush, she took her time people-watching as she went. It was a favorite pastime of hers and Zeke’s, making up stories about interesting passersby and filling in gaps in overheard conversations to amuse themselves. It didn’t take long to notice that while she wasn’t the only Blade in the room, the few others seemed as if they were there for business rather than pleasure. One flanked the doorway with their Driver, keeping a watchful eye over the guests, while a couple of the most well-dressed people in the room had Blades at attention by their sides as they conversed with fellow party-goers.

As she approached the gourmet free-for-all, Pandoria tugged absently at a loose thread on her dress. It was far more modest than the extravagant gowns the women around her were draped in, and the star pendant she wore at her waist was the closest thing she had to jewelry. “Man,” she sighed, “I stick out like a sore thumb, huh? And I’m starting to feel kinda underdressed.”

“You shouldn’t.” Zeke shrugged one shoulder and gestured to the room at large. “This is all just one big pissing contest to these types. They’re too busy trying to one-up each other to pay us any attention. Of course, if they were to spare you but a second glance, they’d realize you’d outshine them all no matter what you were wearing.”

Immediately flushing to the tips of her ears, Pandoria let out a loud, exaggerated laugh. “Oh, I – I get it! ‘Cause of my shoulders. Outshine – good one, my prince!” Still giggling nervously, she busied herself piling food onto her plate.

Opening his mouth as if to speak, Zeke hesitated for a moment before letting out a breath, remaining silent. Shaking his head to himself, he grabbed a plate and followed his Blade’s lead.

Once they both had two plates loaded to full capacity, they carefully made their way to an empty dining table. Miraculously, Zeke managed not to spill anything on the way, despite a close call when he nearly tripped on the train of a long ballgown. Returning the woman’s annoyed glare with a friendly smile, he stumbled towards the table in the far corner Pandoria had claimed.

“Impressive recovery,” she said through a mouth full of squood, shooting him a thumbs up.

Zeke gave a bow before taking a seat next to her. “It was a harrowing journey, but I came out in one piece.”

Conversation lulled as they indulged in their meals, interspersed with the occasional “you’ve _got_ to try this” or appreciative sigh. After a return trip for dessert, the duo leaned back in their chairs to bask in their full stomachs.

“You know,” Zeke spoke up after a few minutes, stroking his chin thoughtfully, “I feel like this party is missing something.”

Pandoria slowly nodded her agreement. “Yeah. Like…a bar fight?”

“That’s it,” Zeke chuckled. “Nothing livens up a night out quite like angry drunkards.”

A polite smattering of applause sounded as the band finished their current song. Standing up, Zeke took a moment to roll his shoulders. Pandoria tried to ignore that his shirt fit extremely well, highlighting the muscles beneath as he moved. “Well, it’s no tavern brawl, but since we’re here anyway…” Straightening his posture, he held out a hand towards her as the music picked up again. “May I have this dance, Pandy?”

The corner of her mouth quirking, Pandoria tilted her head to the side. “Do you even know _how_ to dance?”

Retracting his offered hand to clutch at his chest, Zeke gave an exaggerated scoff of offense. “I’ll have you know my father hired the best ballroom instructors in Tantal for me. A king must be prepared for a formal event at a moment’s notice.”

Smirk widening, Pandoria took to her feet as well, hands on her hips. “Uh-huh. That didn’t answer my question. How about this one: did you ever actually go to any of your fancy dance lessons?”

“Some of them.” Zeke shrugged. “I mean, come on, how many balls is a dying isolationist country _really_ going to throw?”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” With a soft laugh, Pandoria held out a hand towards Zeke. When he only stared blankly at first, she heaved a long sigh and rolled her eyes. “Well, are we going to dance or what? Or did you skip the lesson about not leaving a lady hanging?”

“Oh!” A grin flitted across Zeke’s face, the earnestness of which caused her heart to skip a beat. “Of course. Yes, let’s.” He took her right hand in his left, fingers carefully entwining with hers. Pandoria couldn’t help but notice how her hand was dwarfed by his, though her attention was quickly pulled away by the feeling of his other hand ghosting gingerly over her hip before coming to rest at her waist.

“So, just…one two three, one two three, right?” she asked, trying to distract herself.

“Pretty much. Just mirror what I do – go backwards when I go forwards and vice versa.” He took a slow step forward, then one to the side with his other leg, gently leading Pandoria with their joined hands. “See, not too hard.”

Pandoria stumbled a little on her first step forward, but soon fell into sync with Zeke’s timing. “Hey, it only took, what, a year to pull off an Ultimate Lightning Fury Slash without crashing into each other? A little waltz is baby stuff for us.”

“Maybe once we’ve got this down, we turn it up a notch and throw in a light show.” Zeke couldn’t help but smile broadly as Pandoria gave one of her trademark giggle-snorts. After it tapered off, they fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, focusing on the rhythm of their dance. As they moved slowly from their table in the corner towards the dance floor, their pace picking up, Zeke felt a familiar tugging from within his chest. Glancing downwards, he watched the glow of Pandoria’s core crystal brighten slightly. He couldn’t recall ever forming an ether link outside of battle before – it was strange for it not to be accompanied with a rush of adrenaline and the impending threat of death. The not-quite-tangible tether was a comforting reminder that they had each other’s backs unconditionally.

Emboldened by the warmth of their connection, Zeke found himself speaking up. “By the by, Pandy, I…you know, I meant what I said earlier.” When Pandoria looked up at him quizzically, he cleared his throat and continued, “The pun was – for once – unintended. You really do look beautiful.”

“Oh. Um, thanks.” Cheeks pink, she looked down and shrugged. “I mean, you know, it’s just the same old me, but in a cheap dress.”

Zeke gave her hand a squeeze. “You say that as if you aren’t always beautiful.”

“Uh – w-well, I – um…” Heart leaping into her throat, Pandoria lost step count in her head, moving forward when she should have gone back and running face-first into Zeke’s chest. “Oh! S-sorry, I – _woah!_ ”

Tripping over his feet, she teetered for a moment, nearly falling backwards and pulling him down with her. She only made it about halfway before Zeke caught his balance and wrapped his arm tighter around her waist, holding her in place. From a distance, another dancer might almost believe they had attempted a dip on purpose.

They stared at each other in silence for a moment before Zeke cracked a smirk. “Careful. I caught you falling for me.”

Pandoria blinked once.

Twice.

Then, without warning, she took his face in both her hands and pressed her lips to his. Zeke’s body went stock still in surprise for a moment – then completely limp. With a yelp, Pandoria slid from his grip, making it all the way to the floor this time before Zeke could catch her. “Ow! _Dude!_ ”

Completely scarlet faced, Zeke came to his senses at her annoyed outburst, springing to kneel beside her as she sat up gingerly. “Sorry, I – I wasn’t expecting you to – are you alright?”

“What _were_ you expecting?” Pandoria demanded, scowling.

“Well, if you must know, this wasn’t part of my master plan. I was going to time my confession so that we would share our first kiss at the stroke of midnight. I suppose I just turned on the charm too high too early.”

Despite her best attempts at a withering glare, Pandoria’s gaze held only affection. “You’re such a dork.”

“Say what you will, but I think it’s working out well for me.” He held out a hand for Pandoria and helped her back to her feet. Once they were both upright, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his forehead to hers. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

Before Pandoria could retort, there was a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw the Driver that had been keeping watch earlier looking down his nose at her. “Excuse me. I’ve been asked to escort the two of you out. You’ve indulged in far more than your fair share of refreshments, and now you’re causing a ruckus and disturbing the other guests.”

“Fine by us.” Sidestepping the man, Zeke looped his arm around Pandoria’s and gave a curt nod. “We’ll see ourselves out, thank you.”

“Yeah, we’ve got better places to be anyway.” With an exaggerated curtsey, Pandoria marched alongside Zeke towards the door. Backs stiff as boards and heads held high, they made it all of ten feet upholding this parody of dignity before a single moment of eye contact cracked their facade. Their slow, solemn steps gave way to playful stumbles as they struggled not to double over with laughter at themselves. Raising a pinky in the air, a spark leapt along Pandoria’s arm, and then in the blink of an eye she and Zeke were gone, leaving only a faint scent of ozone in their wake.

Moments later, a few meters from the mansion’s front doors, a purple blur skidded into view. As they came to a halt, the pair instinctively assumed their poses of choice – Pandoria kneeling low with one leg, throwing her arms dramatically behind her; Zeke with his chest puffed out and hands over his left eye as if barely suppressing the force within. After a few moments holding these poses for the benefit of absolutely no one but themselves, they wordlessly straightened out and exchanged fist bumps.

“Well, darling,” Zeke spoke up, “as spectacular as our exit was, I’m sorry it was so untimely. If I hadn’t dropped you, we wouldn’t have caused such a ruckus in there.”

Shrugging dismissively, Pandoria slipped her hand into his, slowly meandering down the path leading back into the city streets. “Eh, it’s no big deal. I already gorged myself on the buffet and all those stuffy rich people were cramping my style anyway.” Quirking an eyebrow, she added, “By the way – _darling_?”

Frowning, Zeke asked, “You don’t like it? Would you prefer…sweetheart? Babe? Honey?”

With a breath of laughter, she shook her head. “I mean, I don’t _not_ like it. Just…that was fast.”

“Maybe so, but only because I’ve been waiting for this day for so long.” Squeezing her hand, Zeke pumped his free one emphatically above his head. “Years now I’ve pined for you, holding back my true feelings for fear of shattering our bonds of friendship. If I had a gold for every sweet nothing I’ve had to let go un-whispered, we’d never have to work another day in our lives.”

“Sh-sheesh.” Looking down to hide the embarrassed smile blossoming on her face, Pandoria managed a scoff. “You can’t just say you’ve liked me for a while like a normal person.”

“Come now, you know you wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Rolling her eyes, she simply clung a little tighter to his arm as they meandered down the cobblestone road. When they found themselves at the pavilion overlooking the skyline, they paused to lean against the railing and take it in. While the night sky wasn’t visible from within Uraya, the flickering streetlights like stars twinkling in the inky darkness, framed by the soft pink horizon of saffronia trees, was no less beautiful in its own right. A soft breeze stirred a few stray petals, sending them dancing around their legs as they gazed out over the sleeping city.

“Well, Pandy.” Voice low, almost reverent, Zeke broke the silence. “What say you we finish what we started?”

Pandoria glanced over at him, a teasing smile on her face. “What, you wanna do a waltz right out here?”

“And what’s wrong with that?” Taking Pandoria’s hands, Zeke twirled her once before leading her in a clumsy dance down the street. Her core crystal shone even more brightly than it had at the ball as the lightbulbs on her shoulders lit up with her laughter, casting flickering shadows as they splashed through puddles to a melody only they could hear. Ether flowed between them, tugging at their very cores while they swayed and stumbled and spun, perfectly in sync in all their imperfect movements. As their footsteps finally slowed and Zeke pulled her closer, Pandoria’s shoulders dimmed to a glow as warm as his smile made her feel.

“This is nice,” she murmured, ears drooping as she nuzzled against his collarbone. “Way better than some boring old party.” His fingers combed through her hair and she let out a contented hum. “I love you, Zeke.”

As he faltered to a standstill, Pandoria realized what she had just said. The sudden rush of heat to her face felt like she was catching fire. “Oh, shit.” Taking a step back and pulling her hands away to wring anxiously, she let out a nervous, high-pitched giggle. “And here I was teasing you about it being early for pet names. Um. You don’t have to say it back, but I – I do. I have for a long time. S-sorry if I –”

“Pandoria.” Zeke’s voice, low and gentle, cut in. Making herself meet her prince’s eyes, Pandoria found him gazing at her like no one else in all of Alrest mattered. Even as her heart rate increased, she felt a sense of calm settle over her. “I love you too.” He gave a soft laugh. “We’re fools for leaving it unsaid this long.”

Somewhere in the distance, a clocktower began its midnight countdown. One hand at her waist, the other brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, Zeke slowly leaned closer, a silent question on his lips. Pandoria was all too happy to stand on tip-toe to answer.

When she reluctantly pulled away, long after the echoes of the twelfth chime had faded, Pandoria whispered, “Hey, you didn’t drop me this time.”

Zeke heaved a melodramatic sigh. “Why do I get the feeling you’ll never let me live that down?”

Tipping her head to the side and tapping her chin as if deep in thought, a mischievous smile danced across her face. “Probably because I won’t.” Pressing a swift kiss to his cheek, she added, “And you know you wouldn’t have it any other way.”


End file.
